Workers comp ankle injury settlements start with one question: does your state count the ankle as part of the foot or the leg? That choice sets how many weeks your rating is applied to. Your wage and the care you still need then move the number up or down.
Foot or leg: how states count an ankle
New York puts the ankle with the foot. Its board lists "Foot (ankle)" as one body part for a schedule award. A foot there is worth 205 weeks, while a whole leg is worth 288 weeks.
Other states use their own lists. Ohio gives a foot 150 weeks. Illinois gives a foot 167 weeks for injuries since mid 2011.
So the same break, with the same rating, can pay very different sums from one state line to the next. That is why the state where you were hurt matters so much.
Example: Rosa's broken ankle in New York
Rosa slipped off a loading ramp and broke her ankle in two places. After surgery and therapy, her doctor rated a 15 percent loss of use of the foot.
New York gives the foot 205 weeks. So 205 weeks times 15 percent comes to 30.75 weeks of pay.
Each of those weeks is paid at her weekly rate, which comes from her wage before the fall. You can check your own rate with the weekly check calculator.
Ohio puts a dollar figure on the foot
Ohio prints its schedule in dollars. For 2026, losing a foot or all use of it, is listed at 150 weeks and $192,150.
Few ankle cases reach that line. A partial loss in Ohio is rated another way, so it pays far less. Still, the chart shows how much weight the law gives a foot you can no longer trust.
What raises an ankle settlement
A clean sprain that heals rarely adds much. These things push the number up:
- A break that needed plates, screws or a fusion.
- Arthritis the doctor links to the injury.
- Lasting swelling, a limp or pain on uneven ground.
- A job you cannot go back to, like roofing, framing or long days on a dock.
Write down what you can no longer do. Ladders, stairs and steel toe boots are all fair to mention to your doctor.
Ankle surgery and the average settlement
No state agency publishes an average for ankle surgery. The fair number is your own rating, your own wage and your own future care.
Surgery tends to raise the rating and a second surgery to pull the hardware can follow. Settle too soon and those costs land on you. Most workers do better waiting for maximum medical improvement.
If you are on Medicare or close to it, part of a deal may have to be set aside for later care under a Medicare set-aside.
Before you take an ankle offer
- Get the rating in writing and ask which body part it uses.
- Keep every scan, surgery note and work limit in one folder.
- Check the filing and appeal dates on your state page from workers comp by state.
- Have the settlement offer read before you sign.
An attorney takes a share of what you win, set and capped by your state and nothing up front. See the fee rules.
People also ask
How much is a broken ankle worth in workers comp?
Take your rating times the foot or leg weeks in your state, then times your weekly rate. Add the care you still need, like hardware removal or therapy.
Can I get more later if arthritis sets in?
Some states let you ask for more within time limits. A full and final deal usually closes that door, so ask first.